24x7 jabs when supply is regular: Maha CM

Mumbai Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the state has planned to conduct the Covid-19 inoculation drive round the clock once they start getting a regular supply of vaccine doses as he wants to immunise the entire population at the earliest. Thackeray said manufacturing companies have informed the state that production will start augmenting from June and subsequently, supply will improve.

Maharashtra is facing a shortage of doses and has suspended the drive for the 18-44 age group. It is the state most affected by the pandemic with over 5.57 million cases. “We are hoping, from what has come from discussion with manufacturing firms, that production will start increasing from June. As soon as supply of vaccine doses becomes regular, we will vaccinate round the clock. I want to immunise the entire population at the earliest and have planned things accordingly,” the chief minister said.

The state has also floated an express of interest (EOI) on May 17 to procure 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization.